Teams & Toys is a community service project designed specifically for student athletes. Its goal is to provide Princeton athletic teams with an opportunity to use the platform of sports to make a positive difference in both the life of the University and the local community.
In this effort, Athletes in Action helps Princeton’s Varsity and club teams to adopt underprivileged families in the local Princeton community for the holiday season. Athletes in Action offers organizational and administrative support while the participating teams purchase and donate gifts for the children of their adopted families.
The culmination of the project is the Teams & Toys gift wrapping party, which was held on Wednesday, December 3rd, at the Frist Campus Center. AIA provides wrapping supplies, food, music, and a festive atmosphere where student athletes can interact with one another, wrap their gifts and enjoy the spirit of giving back to the University and the local community. These gifts are then distributed to local families through the help of Community House in Princeton.
The Princeton student-athletes seemed to have found purpose in helping to wrap gifts, which was expressed by John Olofsson ’11 (football) when he said, “I am a Sophomore and this was my second year participating in Teams for Toys. I will most definitely continue to be a part of Teams for Toys for my remaining two years. It is a truly rewarding experience. Knowing that we are giving underprivileged children a chance at a good Christmas that they would not otherwise have really means a lot.” John’s sentiments seem to have also resonated with Rachel Park ’12 (Cross Country) who said the following when asked about her experience, “This is my first year (I’m a freshman) and I look forward to it next year. Not only was the event a great way to have fun with friends, eat delicious cookies, and wrap presents, but I also had so much fun imagining the children opening and enjoying the presents!”
